Local History News Number 86 Winter 2008

MAP BY GENERAL ROY 

An article in Scottish Local History prompted me to spend a happy hour navigating my way round mid-eighteenth century Scotland. The National Library of Scotland has just put online General Roys magnificent and beautifulMilitary Survey Map of Scotland (1747-1755), undertaken by the Board of Ordnance in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. The maps were at a scale of 1:36,000 (almost two inches to a mile) and covered the whole country, the area north of the Highland Line being redone in a fair copy of very great beauty as well as military practicality, the survey of the southern counties (less urgent in military terms) remaining only at the first 'original protraction' stage. This feat of surveying and cartography was unprecedented in Great Britain, and was achieved in a very short time though its precision was much less than that of the later Ordnance Survey. General Roy himself noted that it was a 'magnificent military sketch [rather'>more... than a very accurate map of the country'. It was required because the Highlands, in particular, had to be garrisoned to prevent another Jacobite resurgence, and a network of military roads and fortresses was constructed partly on the basis of the mapping exercise. The maps use conventional symbols and colourings, such as red dots for houses, brown for roads, green for woodland, yellow for farmland, and with differentiation of moorland, arable ground (using parallel lines to resemble furrows) and stipple for sands. The accuracy of field boundaries and many of the man-made features is poor, because they were not strictly relevant to the purpose. Instead, the topography is shown with considerable general skill, as are woodlands (which provided cover for enemy and friend alike) and features such as rivers, bridges and roads. The map shows landforms using brushstrokes to indicate slopes, gradient being indicated by darkness or lightness of tone, and a highly-effective three-dimensional impression is given. It was inevitable that landforms were generalised they were not surveyed for altitude with any precision and, especially in the more inaccessible parts of the NorthWest Highlands, physical limitations made detailed surveying impossible. But a wonderful sense of the topographical framework of the landscape is given as is the emptiness of so much of mid-eighteenth century Scotland. Great swathes of Caithness and Sutherland are generalised without a single red dot (still true today, in fact) and the drama of the landscape along the west coast is powerfully conveyed. The on-line version can be searched by placename (modern form, since the spelling of Gaelic and even nonGaelic names on the map is highly erratic) or by county, or by zooming in on an index map. It is possible to pan through the landscape, following a road or river, for instance, or travelling along the coast, and the website includes very helpful background papers on the provenance and purpose of the map, the surveying techniques and methods, and the cartographic style and content. The individual frames, as with most map websites, are perhaps rather small, but it is possible to zoom in to a very high degree of magnification of detail, and the maps can be printed or saved. As a practical tool for Scottish local historians Roy's map is likely to be of very great value, especially for those who are north of the Central Valley, but I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody interested in maps and mapping, in the antecedents of the Ordnance Survey, and in eighteenth-century British history and landscape. The maps (and other on-line maps) are at www.nls.uk/maps/roy; the article which discusses the map is Chris Fleet, 'The Roy Military Survey Map of Scotland (174555)' in Scottish Local History no.71, Winter 2007, pp.3741); and a fullcolour book version of the maps was published in December by Birlinn in conjunction with the National Library for Scotland the British Library (see www.birlinn.co.uk for details).

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HISTORYTALK

Talking about history is a real pastime in west London. Well, that's when were not making it! In fact, this year is a timely reminder of the powerful history that was made here fifty years ago in 1958 when local black people led the fight against racist and fascist violence on the streets of Notting Hill. HISTORYtalk is a local community history group based in Ladbroke Grove. Formerly known as the Kensington & Chelsea Community History group, it has been going for over eighteen years. It developed out of the many social & community issues that have swirled around North Kensington for decades: housing, discrimination and social deprivation, the building of the notorious Westway, unemployment and poverty. But at the same time, theres been a desire to record the lives of people in these west London boroughs and to have a means to map the social history through oral history projects, reminiscence and local history sessions. Such activities can promote a better future for all age groups. It also means doing inter-generational activities so that older and young people can be brought together, exhibitions, walks and talks and Spanish Memories. HISTORYtalk has supported dozens of oral history projects like The Story of Notting Dale or Westbourne Grove in Wealth, Work & Welfare that have been published. Carnival has created a huge historical archive. All of them draw on the wealth of experience, knowledge and endurance of local residents. In fact, oral history runs like a thread through our activities. It's not something that requires an 'academic' training but can be engaged in with just a tape recorder or notepad - and lots of time and patience. Often, as with the recent oral history of former Jewish residents, it's a question of getting on with it. Like the massive TUC Library Collections oral history of WW2 civilian veterans in 2005, it is simply a means of unlocking the social history of a place or time. HISTORYtalk has not lost sight of its origins in the thick of the making of history. We have a group of local historians with detailed knowledge of the area who act as tutors in local history. Their work is currently focused on the corridor between the boroughs of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham - the former Frestonia of the 1970s leading down to the vast new shopping development of Westfield at Shepherds Bush. Tom Vague, the guru of west London pop history, works closely with HISTORYtalk, having published London Psychogeography: Rachman, Riots and Rillington Place. HISTORYtalk runs a Reminiscence at Home project which aims to record the life histories of older residents, in the process uncovering the stories of livelong residents like Nell Fox or those like Ambrose Gonzalez or Lily Crawford who came from the Caribbean in the 1950s. We train and support a team of committed volunteers who make it possible to do this work. The 50th anniversary of the Notting Hill riots offers an opportunity to reflect on what happened then and what has happened since. HISTORYtalk is planning an oral history project called Riot & Recovery which will, we hope, do just that. For more information please visit our website www. historytalk.org or email info@historytalk. Postal address: 240B Lancaster Road, London, W11 4AH. Tel: 0207 792 2282.

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2007 AWARDS: A MAN OF MANY PARTS

David Morgan's enthusiasm for the history of his local area is imprinted on the minds of many generations of Swansea school children. One of these - now a university lecturer in history - wrote to us about how his 'inspirational teaching of history and geography fired my interest in these disciplines'. In 1960 David Morgan decided to work with his class to discover what the area had been like before recently-built large housing estates appeared. He too was a stranger to the area at that time, so it was a 'voyage of discovery' for all. Year by year, more information was uncovered and more topics pursued, revealing the agricultural and industrial history that preceded what was becoming a dormitory suburb of Swansea. A particularly valuable feature was the annual 'question and answer' session with elderly residents from the village; and an element of competition was introduced for the senior pupils who were challenged to produce their own project on the area. In parallel with his teaching, David Morgan was also writing dramatised scripts on Welsh history for the Welsh Broadcasting Branch of the BBC. This investigative approach led David to explore both documentary sources and oral history, to underpin his teaching and his writing. He found local newspapers invaluable, and 'a notepad and pencil became a natural accompaniment at any walk in the area ...for you never know who you would meet and what titbit of information would be passed on'. He quickly learnt, however, the importance of checking different recollections David's discoveries (and the amount of paper that was filling his house) inspired him to write articles, and later booklets covering many aspects of his local history. The latest to be published was The History of Killay, a neighbouring village. His current project is on Kilvrough Manor, an Elizabethan property in Gower. As a speaker to local societies, David is much in demand. All these factors support his referee's comment 'it is as a communicator … that he excels'. We have ceased to be surprised that BALH Personal Achievement Award winners are much more to their communities than just local historians. David Morgan is no exception. After retiring as headmaster, he was appointed a Reader by the Bishop, and is now involved with a number of churches in the area. He is known as a sportsman and coach; and - in contrast - has been an active member of the 'Swansea in Bloom' project for many years. Very recently, David Morgan has initiated a local history group, and will therefore continue to share his enthusiasm for the subject.

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AWARDS 2007: A LOCAL HISTORIAN FOR 60 YEARS

John Smith's interest in local history dates back over half a century. It began when he was researching for his MA thesis 'The Economic Geography of the Nenr Basin Grain Milling Industry'. He spent three weeks of his annual leave in 1948 and 1949 cycling around the area between Banbury and Boston, checking the location and history of mills. In 1951 a summary of his work appeared in the first edition of The East Midland Geographer, the journal of the Geography Department of the University of Nottingham. Joining the Wind and Watermills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in the course of this research, John attended many of their meetings and visits during the next thirty years. In 1971 he organised the first of the Society's weekend visits, accommodating them in the college at Matlock, and celebrating the bi-centenary of the Arkwright Society. John was a founder member of that organisation, and helped both physically and financially with the restoration of the mills at Cromford. From 1968, John Smith's work for Derbyshire County Council included planning for new enterprises to take the place of traditional industries that were in rapid decline. He wrote many reports, and this work was summarised in an article published in 1970 as one of theEssays in Honour of K C Edwards of the University of Nottingham. During the 1970s John joined the North East Derbyshire Field Club and served both as Chairman and President over the years. On one occasion David Hey, now President of BALH, conducted the Club round the barrows of East Moor. John was born in Flore, Northamptonshire, and made frequent visits to his family there, until he retired in 1994 and moved back to Flore. He was already a member of Flore Heritage Society, of which his niece was a founder member. He was asked to write a family history to mark the centenary of his grandfather's move to the village in 1893. This was followed by a more extensive history called Some Smiths of Weedon Bec, tracing his ancestors back to 1729, and including other Smith families in the area. In the Autumn of 1995 the Secretary of Flore Heritage Society resigned, and to keep the Society going John took over the post, which he still holds. At this time the Peterborough Diocese asked every church to record the headstones in their churchyards. John prepared illustrated booklets on both Flore and Brockhall churchyards, and to help the work, first transcribed the parish registers. This has enabled family history enquiries to be answered more easily, and contributed to Johns reputation as the major source of information on Flore history. A series of booklets followed, now numbering over 20, covering many aspects of the history of Flore. They are regarded as drafts, though considered very authoritative, and are updated as additions and amendments are proposed. Over the past 26 years, Flore Heritage Society has built up a sizeable archive; retaining copies or summaries of important documents that are deposited in the County Record Office. One item that remains in the village, though covering 12 neighbouring parishes, is an almost complete set of Weedon Deanery Parish Magazines from 1889 to 1961. The entries for Flore, Weedon and Brockhall have been summarised and indexed for ease of reference, and to protect the fragile originals. John's responsibilities as Secretary involve arranging the programme of speakers and tours. In addition to cataloguing and archiving the Society's accessions, he has organised two major exhibitions, the first to celebrate the millennium and in 2006 to mark the Silver Jubilee of the society. He is described as an 'outstanding secretary' and 'indefatigable archivist'. His commitment to the local community is demonstrated by his membership of eleven other organisations, some of which - such as Flore Garden Society - involve more committee work. His active involvement with the Friends of Daventry Museum is aimed at trying to establish a museum service to take the place of Daventry Museum which was closed by the District Council. The Community Landscape & Archaeological Survey Project (CLASP) is recording Roman remains over a wide area, while John is also part of a smaller group focusing on the Roman Villa at Whitehall Farm across the valley from Flore. 'Dedicated' and 'inspirational' are further compliments paid to John by his colleagues in Flore. It is for his long-standing devotion to Flore, and the many ways in which this has been out into practice, that John was presented with a BALH Award for Personal Achievement in 2007. This is largely an autobiographical contribution from John, for which the author is most grateful; other material from Brian Paling, Audrey Strudwick, and Cecilia Sharp.

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LOUGHTON FESTIVAL

Local Historical Societies are always looking for new and innovative ways to cultivate an interest in local history. The Loughton Festival illustrates one way to do this. The first Loughton Festival took place over the weekend of 31 March and 1 April 2007. The idea developed following a trip to the Hay-on-Wye Festival of Literature, although it quickly became apparent that the Loughton Festival would be quite different in character, with the emphasis being placed on celebrating the areas history via literature, art and music. Like many other areas, Loughton is rich in local history and is fortunate to have an active Historical Society. Three of its Committee members joined the Loughton Festival Committee, which insured continuity between the two groups. The new Festival Committee felt that using literature, art and music was an alternative means of being able to encourage local residents and others, including children, to discover more about the area in which they live. The 2007 Festival presented talks about people who had lived in the area but were also well known outside of local history circles. These included: Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Clare and the War Poet, Edward Thomas, who all lived in Epping Forest. There was also a talk about the novelist Arthur Morrison, author of Tales of Mean Streets(1894) and A Child the Jago (1896). That talk inspired the formation of the new Arthur Morrison Society, for contact details, see below. The 2008 Loughton Festival, which is to be held from the 3rd to the 11th May, will continue to draw on its own historical roots. For example, on 9th May, Sue Taylor will present a performance of Mary Wroth's prose and poetry along with that of Ben Jonson and others from the period. The programme will include madrigals and recorder music. What many people coming to hear this musical and literary event may not realise is that Lady Mary Wroth, niece to Sir Philip Sydney, lived and wrote in Loughton. Her book, The Countesse of Mountgomeries Urania, was first published in 1621, while resident in the former Loughton Hall. George Granville Barker is another poet with more recent Loughton connections. His wife, Elspeth Barker, who is an author in her own right, will be joined by some of the couple's friends and family to deliver a reading of Barker poetry. This really will be one of the key national poetry events in 2008, yet the publicity will focus on Barker as a Loughton-born poet and will draw attention to the blue plaque that was placed over the house where he was born, at the behest of the Historical Society. Other Festival talks will include: Rudyard Kipling, (The Kipling Society), Baden Powell (The Scouts Association), and Jacob Epstein (Rosanna Eckersley). There will also be a talk about Midsummer Nights Dream, which will describe how it might have been staged at Copped Hall (Adrian Eckersley). There will also be a literary walk, events and competitions for children and a display of Andre watercolours in Loughton Library, courtesy of the Epping Forest Museum. Other historical and similar societies can also use literature, art and music to promote local history. Although funding is a major issue, it is unlikely you will achieve a large grant, but you can do an enormous amount using local good will, a bit of sponsorship and three or four active volunteers who can make good use of the social networks / local societies that exist in every community. If you would like to learn more about the Loughton Festival or the Arthur Morrison Society, or you would like to find out more about running a similar event, contact Sue Taylor 020 8508 2512 or info@loughtonfestival.org.uk

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MAKING HISTORY YOUR HISTORY

BBC Radio 4's Making History series invites you help us make history. Weve been running for almost a decade now and are just about to start our twentieth series - and we would like you to get involved! Over the past ten years, we've helped hundreds of listeners dig up the answers to those niggling, bizarre or just plain fascinating questions that we have about the past both at home and overseas, and from ancient history to the modern period. We've taken as our perspective everything from the grand sweep of history (for example, the fall of the Roman Empire or the expansion of the Norse Kingdom in Europe and even Africa) to the seemingly tiniest intriguing detail (for example, how a particular type of weaving pattern helped uncover that latest in Iron Age fashions); we've explored the hidden histories our listeners' local or natural landscapes, explained the anomalies of why respectable areas are named 'Whores' Harbour' or 'Rotten Row' and we've even been invited into our listeners' houses to dig up the surprising secrets of the built environment, too. In short, well stop at nothing to get to the best historical stories that shed light on our past. Nearly all our stories coming from our listeners - but we know that there are more great stories out there just waiting to be broadcast. This is why the Making History team are keen to develop our links with the local history societies around the country. We know that many of you have been working on fascinating projects of your own, researching areas about which little has been known. So, do you have a project that deserves a bigger audience? If so, we might be able to help. Making History has a huge range of listeners from all over the world. Over the last series, we've had contributors from Welsh Abermawr to Australia. While many of our listeners catch the programme by listening to us on Radio 4, huge numbers of our audience choose to listen to the programme online via the website's Listen Again feature. And now there's another way you can catch us, as were the latest in a long line of BBC shows to be 'podcast'. Just log on to the website and download us onto your iPod or MP3 player and you can listen to us whenever and wherever you want! All this means that we're reaching more people than ever before which is great news for a programme where the stories can develop and run…and run as our listeners add their insights and experiences to the topic were exploring. Take, for example, our story about British people in the 1930s taking their holidays…in Nazi Germany! It all started with one listener discovering a batch of photographs of her parents touring the sights and scenes of the Third Reich - all very bizarre behaviour for a socialist postman and his wife. But then we heard from more and more people whose parents had made similar trips, including one couple who spent their honeymoon visiting the hotbed of Nazi administration including the Reichstag and the German Ministry of Propaganda! Our expert from the tour organisers - none other than our very own Thomas Cook - told us that actually these holidays were immensely popular for the lower middle classes who couldn't afford posher destinations like Italy or Spain but who yearned to taste life abroad. And with German inflation running higher than a zeplin, Germany was a cheap and practical choice The stories about these strange-sounding holidays continued for three or four weeks and the material we uncovered has helped to expose a whole new social history of vacationing that's now being picked up by academic researchers. Now that's people power and it's all thanks to the public. Highlights for the forthcoming series - which starts in April - include the remarkable story of William Walker, a diver who spent seven years working…on the flooded foundations of Winchester Cathedral We'll also be exploring the hidden history of British emigration to Canada in the 1920s and 30s, and asking how widespread was the experience of a young orphan boy who was educated at a top public school at the state's expense before being sent overseas to start a new life; staying with schools, we'll be finding out more about the 400th anniversary of the James I schools' charter in Northern Ireland - what lay behind this sudden interest in the education of young Catholics? Other topics under investigation include the remarkable profusion of moats in East Anglia and the strange tale of a forgotten Roman port…on the River Severn So if you have any projects that reveal something surprising, fascinating or just plain bizarre, do get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you whether your project is complete or if you still have those annoying lose ends that you just cant seem to tie up. We have a range of experts standing by to help with almost every area of history you can think of and probably a few you've never even heard of! Vanessa and the team can be contacted at: Making History, BBC Radio 4, PO Box 3096, Brighton BN1 1PL, by email: making.history@bbc.co.uk or you can telephone the audience line on 08700 100 400. We look forward to hearing from you

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MORE THOUGHTS ON LOCAL HISTORY

I have been reading with great interest the discussion by Kate Tiller and David Dymond about the current nature of local history. It is thought-provoking. I am a novice, so it is difficult to coming into such a debate in the middle, but I was particularly interested to read David Dymond's misgivings as to whether, when delivering some local history courses, he was doing any more than providing 'entertainment' for the comfortably off, retired, predominantly female population of a town. One does sometimes wonder if indeed local history is not simply a leisure occupation for the middle classes although that would in any case not necessarily invalidate it. But then, those who borrow or read books and magazines on local history, or do research of some sort, are a much wider cross-section of the population than those who go to courses, whether those are serious courses, such as university certificates or diplomas, or straightforward day schools. To a beginner the academic structure, the academic ladder, can seem a bit daunting. But then, as David Dymond made clear, people can easily get off the ladder before a full degree course looms! The present funding changes are worrying. Not everyone who is retired and middle class is well off, something which is often forgotten. Though perhaps these courses, the academic side of local history, is the only bit which is costly. Actually carrying out local history research usually costs no more than your bus fare, and the price of a pencil and some paper! Sometimes, when doing local history, one finds oneself thinking of how one its great virtues is that it contradicts and confounds existing expectations. In my work on Coventry workhouse I expected to find married couples and unmarried mothers. I did find some, but far fewer than I expected. And there are other thoughts that arise. I don't like facile attempts to draw lessons form history (Roger Ottewill, in his recent article on the 1902 Education Act, points out the dangers of this) or of equally facile attempts to explain a writer's genius as being explicable from their historical background. But in reading a recent article inWarwickshire History, about a physician who founded the Provident Dispensary movement, I found that inevitably my mind was moving towards the figure of Lydgate inMiddlemarch. Perhaps a provincial doctor in the 19th century Midlands did have great opportunities to bring about social change? But why should not such information be published in The George Eliot Fellowship Journal as well as in Warwickshire History? I recognise that this may be, to an extent, floating ideas. But why should we compartmentalise knowledge? Local historians aren't just local historians they are also literary enthusiasts, folk singers, naturalists ... we should carry the message of the work of local historians, and their findings, into other areas of research and investigation.

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ARCHIVES ARE ADDICTIVE

It all started with a course that included palaeography advertised as 'Reading and Understanding Local Records'. It seemed a good way to find out how to set about possible local history research. Two weeks into the course I was hooked, a course project producing a bibliography for my chosen village, Stalisfield, was a tremendous help and I started researching. It proved to be far more interesting than expected. Then dead stop, the computer died and I was short of funds. By chance I was enthusing to my vicar about the project and saying how sad I was to give up. Help was at hand, I was pointed in the direction of Kent Community Champions Fund, administered by Kent Community Foundation and encouraged to apply, I put together an application, funds were only for a year so my ideas had to be scaled down and a 'starter 'project proposed. Imagine my amazement when the application was successful. A new computer, with funds to help with research, Latin translation and a mentor, I was off again, now it was serious, research some of the history of Stalisfield church, the Manor, which used to be next door, and the 15th century Old Schoolhouse nearby and prepare six display boards for the local community and visitors to the church. The information gathered will also form part of a longer term project to be written up probably in stages. The funders encouraged the initial application to be part of an ongoing community project so that was in my favour. What have I found? A tremendous amount, here are a few highlights. Stalisfield Church and Manor high on the North Downs were there at the time of the Norman Conquest and were linked to another parish Oare, 8 miles away near the coast. This may have come about as they had complementary assets, Oare had, a mill, 2 fisheries, a salt-house and land for 4 ploughs. Stalisfield had land for 4 ploughs, meadow and woodland for 60 pigs. The woodland would have been important for building and repairing houses and boats, also for heating and helping produce the salt essential for preserving meat and fish. The same person held both properties. This arrangement continued after the conquest with a succession of tenants until c 1174/82 when Ernulf Cade made a grant to St Gregory's priory 'in pure and perpetual alms....of the church of Stalisfield with its chapel at Oare'. Several other similar grants of land from other nearby landholders followed and the church at Stalisfield was to be used for hospitality. In 1199 Ernulf Cade made a grant to the Knights Hospitallers of the Manor of Stalisfield and probably Oare at the same time as both appear valued together in 1338 at 20 marks. After the dissolution Henry VIII leased the Manor to a Ralph Fane, who rose to be favoured by the king for his ability to lead troops and win battles, he was knighted in 1544, and one of his appointments was to supervise, with others, the dissolution of chantries and several religious foundations in Canterbury. He continued to be rewarded with grants of lands until 1550 until in 1551 he was arrested and accused of conspiring with others to murder the Duke of Northumberland, lord president of the privy Council. After trail he was hanged in 1552 and the granted and leased lands reclaimed by the crown. An almost complete list of holders and owners of the manor or its site from 1066 to the present day has been compiled. It appears the manor was considered an asset and attracted wealthy owners while its remoteness encouraged absentee landlords. No records have been found of the owners or primary holders living at the manor. In 1783 distemper in Welch horned cattle brought into the area caused problems, over 800 died or were shot, some at Stalisfield. Churchwardens were charged 'to stop and hinder all horned Chattell from coming out of the County of Kent..'.. Four 18th century Inventories of Books, Vestments and Vessels belonging to the Church of Stalesfield. From these four small pieces of paper the church seems poor, the only books being One Great Bible Book of Common Prayer, Homilies, Register of Parchment. The vestments comprised, One Surplice, Carpet and Linnen Cloth for the Communion Table, Linnen Cloth to Cover the Elements, Cushion for the Pulpit. The vessels were the basics for Communion and it also records, A Chest with lock and Key, one Bell and Bell-rope and a Bier for the Burial of the Dead. This last together with the tiny tombs for children in the churchyard are a reminder that life could be very short for the wealthy as well as the poor. The Old School house is 15th century and marked on the OS 1876 1st edition map as 'School Boys and Girls'. In the tithe apportionment of 1841 it is Tinniper Cottage. The Religious Census of 1851 details 30 scholars in the morning and 30 scholars in the afternoon on Sundays in a school room. The property at this time was part of the Sondes Estate, the then Earl Sondes supported education in other places but so far a link has not been found. A beautiful, hand drawn and coloured bound register of the woods, owned by the Sondes in 1793 shows the woodlands alongside Tinniper Cottage. I could tell you much more and there is so much more to be found, researching is addictive but I must stop for a while, those six empty boards are waiting to be filled and after that the next stage of the project can begin. The cover of this isue of Local History News shows Stalisfield Old School House from a coloured lantern slide. Brothers Frank and Herbert Crosoer were photographers in Faversham, Kent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hand coloured, with good quality dyes, the images provide a rich source of local information. As well as those in the Canterbury Cathedral Archives, the Faversham Society has several hundred. www.faversham.org/society

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NEWS FROM THE VCH

The VCH is going through changing times. As reported here on a previous occasion, in 2005 it received a grant of £3.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a project entitled 'Englands Past for Everyone'. The project is ongoing from Durham to Cornwall and from Herefordshire to Kent. It has its own website atwww.englandspastforeveryone.org.uk and is producing a range of material relevant to its education programme. Much of the material being generated is being published digitally. The products of the project include fifteen paperback books, which are being published by Phillimore, the company which has had such a major influence on local history publishing over several decades, including a long-standing involvement with the British Local History Association. The first four volumes in the series appeared in 2007, and included studies of the Wiltshire village of Codford, the Cornish church (see Local History News 85 p 11) migration into Bristol over the past one thousand years, and the early history of Sunderland. Each study has been researched and written locally. The authors have included VCH Staff members such as Gill Cookson and Christine Newman in County Durham, but the Bristol book was largely written by Madge Dresser and Peter Fleming of the University of the West of England, and the Cornwall book by Professor Nicholas Orme of Exeter University. In all cases, one of the innovations was the involvement of volunteers in the research and writing of the series. Future books, which are expected to appear in the next twelve months, will tackle subjects such as Bolsover, Burford, Parham House (Sussex), Ledbury, the lower Medway Valley, and the long history of Exmoor. The VCH greatly values the support it has had from Phillimore in setting up and publishing the series. The books are of a remarkably high quality not just in terms of their content but also in the use of colour photography throughout. They include numerous pictures, and panels within the text which relate to individual subjects covered in the book and often include a 'how to' element. They also mostly retail at less than £15. They are available via Phillimore's website, or from local outlets.

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THE OMNIBUS SOCIETY

I am the Chairman f the Provincial Historical Research Group of the Omnibus Society ('Provincial' in this context means 'outside London' - there is a London Historical Research Group catering for that area). The Omnibus Society was formed as long ago as 1929 to study every aspect of the history and onward development of road passenger transport. It was because this is such a broad objectives that the Research Groups were set up in the 1980s, especially to cover the early period of motor bus operation from around 19000 up to 1939, by which time the industry had settled down, mainly into the large companies we knew until fairly recent times. One of the many subjects with which our members have been involved is the compilation of directories of bus and coach operators by county, including the names and addresses of owners or partners and the dates when they and their services were operating. As an adjunct, we are also attempting to compile lists of the vehicles owned and details of routes and timetables and any photographs relating thereto. It's quite an ambitious task! And that is where local history comes in. How often, when researching and area or family, do you come across a statement such as 'oh yes, he ran the local bus ..' and there it ends? We can probably help you by providing more information and perhaps this will be a two-way exchange, since we would value your information for our researches. Often these were very small businesses which were passed on to other family members, but it is difficult to make the connection or to trace the company history without detailed local knowledge. We have a bi-monthly newsletter which contains articles relating to early motorbus operation and queries from members who have come up against a stop. Other members might have more detailed local knowledge (its amazing how much our members know). If you feel we can hep with your researches and investigations into local transport and social history, please drop me a line at 7 Nursery Close, Emsworth PO110 7SP or email aml.5125@ntlworld.com. Further information about the Omnibus Society and its branches can be found at www.omnibussoc.org.

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DORSET HISTORY FORUM ESTABLISHED

The Inaugural General Meeting of the Dorset History Forum was held last September in Dorchester. The meeting led to the formal establishment of the Forum and the election of officers to the Committee. There were a number of excellent displays by local history societies and museums from around the county; from Christchurch Local History Society in the east of the county, through Blandford Museum, Cerne Abbas Local History Society and the Abbotsbury Heritage Research project, to Bridport Museum and the West Dorset Research Centre in the west. Also present were the Dorset County Boundary Survey, the Dorset Records Society, and the Dorset History Centre, as county-wide organisations. Some 60 people attended, and formally accepted the proposal for the establishment of the Forum and its constitution by Hugh Jaques, County Archivist. Katherine Barker was voted in as Chairman. She thanked the meeting, and spoke of her background in historical research in Dorset, Other officers and committee members were duly elected, including Lilian Ladle as Vice-Chairman, John Brown as Secretary and Phil Roberts as Treasurer. The Treasurer's proposal of an annual subscription of £15 for a society and £6 for an individual was accepted. This will be reviewed next year as the costs of running the Forum become clearer. It was agreed that the exchange of information is very important. The Dorset History Forum intends to publish aNewsletter, is setting up a website, and will hold events during the year. The Committee is discussing plans for an event which provisionally will be in Blandford in Saturday 17th May 2008. After the formal meeting, the speaker was Dr John Chandler, former Wiltshire County Local Studies Librarian, now a freelance local historian and publisher. John gave an extremely interesting and entertaining introduction to John Leland's account of his travels in Dorset from his various 'itineraries' through Tudor England. This unique eye-witness account of England in the 1530s also featured recently in the BBC2 programme Great British Journeys presented by Nick Crane, to which John Chandler contributed. Dorset Local History Forum Hon Sec, John Brown, 14 Rylands Lane, Weymouth DT4 9PZ

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GUIDED VISITS

LAMBETH PALACE & WESTMINSTER ABBEY LIBRARY AND MUNIMENTS ROOM 25 April 2008 The morning destination of this visit has been the town residence of Archbishops of Canterbury for seven centuries. The oldest part of the building is the chapel which dates from 1244. In the afternoon we move to another iconic London building. Westminster Abbey Library and Muniment Room contains extensive and historic collections of books, manuscripts and archival material belonging to the Dean & Chapter of Westminster. It provides a centre of research into all aspects of the Abbeys history. www.westminster-abbey.org/history-research/library-muniment/ READING UNIVERSITY LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS 28 May 2008 This very special collection that constitutes the archives of British publishing and printing are housed in what was the Palmer (of Huntley & Palmer biscuits) family home. Major publishers of the 19th and 20th century are represented including such well-known names as George Allen & Unwin, A & C Black, The Bodley Head, Jonathan Cape, Chatto & Windus, Longman, Macmillan, Routledge & Kegan Paul, and many more. The records contain correspondence with authors, manuscript drafts, readers' reports, business and marketing records, and original artwork for illustrations and book jackets. In the morning of our visit, we will be introduced to this fascinating archive collection. After lunch we move on to Rare Books, and the History of Printing. The archivists have offered to make available any particular item of interest to members on the visit. Look at the website, and note special requests on the booking form. www.reading.ac.uk/lib-special-index.aspWORCESTER 12 June 2008 Two contrasting places feature in this visit. Worcester Cathedral Library holds a wealth of medieval material (the earliest is Anglo Saxon) derived from the large prereformation diocese. Not only are there manuscripts, including the Worcester Antiphoner, but also monastic rolls, maps, and the Nuremburg Chronicle, the first printed history of the world from 1493. More recent acquisitions are photographs, slides,a dn audio cassettes. There is a significant collection of music books, including works by Thomas Tomkins, and Edward Elgar. A recent Heritage Lottery Fund grant has allowed this whole archive to be conserved in a climate controlled environment. www.cofe.worcester.org.uk/cathedral/facilities.php Three miles away from the city at Lower Broadheath is Elgar's Birthplace Museum where the archivist will talk about their collections, and then members will be free to visit the Elgar Centre and Museum. www.elgarfoundation.org

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NAMES AND PLACES

PLACE NAMES AND FIELD NAMES OF NORTHUMBERLAND by Stan Beckensall (Tempus 2006 159pp ISBN 07524 3647 3) £17.99 Books about place-names always present certain problems, and this volume on Northumberland is no exception. Plac-ename study is potentially of major importance in local history, its value perhaps being greatest in the context of landscape history and related research. It is important that we should know about the etymology of familiar names, and that we should interpret them correctly and plausibly - all too often the meaning of names has been guessed and the evidence of published works is often flawed and unreliable. This problem has steadily diminished over the decades, as the English Place-Name Society and the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland have published, in their journals and their monograph series, the definitive works for successive counties. Nonetheless, much that is erroneous still creeps in, fanciful local tales may be repeated without any discrimination, and myth, misunderstanding and misinterpretation are perpetuated. It is always vital, in using place-names, to check with the most reputable sources, not to guess and make assumptions, and to be very cautious about using linguistic evidence. The interpretation of older languages is notoriously hazardous and can be dangerous in the hands of the amateur. But the problem with so many of the books is that they are lists, and little else. In the case of EPNS county volumes that is quite deliberate, for they are intended as works of reference, not narrative reading, and they serve as dictionary-cum-gazetteer. But in other works the list format becomes tedious and limits the appeal of the book itself. Stan Beckensall's book on Northumberland is in this category. It is a follow up to a 1975 book by the same author, entitled Northumberland Place Names, and his 1977 Northumberland Field Names. The book has two parts. The first (74 pages) is entitled 'Place Names' and covers Roman names, settlers from Northern Europe, and then a six page list of place-name elements. Then there are sections on physical features and rivers and streams; vegetation and crops; animals, birds, insects and dairy products; people; dwellings and buildings; colour; size; French; 'further historical detail'; and an alphabetical list (26 pages long) of Northumberland place-names with first recorded occurrence (apparently - the table doesn't actually say so) and a meaning. The first set of listings is less than helpful, because they don't explain the name in linguistic terms or give any indication of its provenance. There are no references of any sort anywhere in the book. The second part of the book (85 pages) concerns field names. It has a general review with a chatty introduction about how the author became interested in the subject, and then a discussion about the decline of modern farming and supermarket dominated methods. The author then describes medieval agricultural systems and some of the relationship between field names and farming methods. Much of this section, though, is a detailed coverage of examples of field names in entire townships, drawn from different parts of the county, with comprehensive listings of names illustrated by redrawn versions of older estate maps for the townships in question. It is doubtful how much the listings of names will appeal to the general reader, especially since for most no explanation is given simply a list of names, roughly categorised under thematic headings. The final part is a listing (24 pages long) of field names, their location unclear and in many cases their meaning not given. Even where they are, I have my doubts about some of the explanations (Bastielands is unlikely to be named for bast, the fibrous inner bark of the lime-tree, for instance) and some of them are clearly guesses unsupported by any evidence (as indeed the author sometimes admits). Too often, he has looked at any word which sounds something like the presentday (or relatively recent) name and then listed the options: Midge Haugh might mean 'liquid drainings from manure' or 'gnats'. Scallion Hole might mean 'a spring onion' or 'bald headed hill'. No doubt a lot of the derivations are correct, but no authorities are cited and it is impossible to establish where the evidence came from. Ultimately, despite its inclusion of a very large amount of information, this book fails to persuade. It contains too many long and rather purposeless lists, too little linguistic and etymological detail, and too few reliable and highly-regarded reference sources. The aim of the book is not entirely clear - it certainly is not, as the jacket blurb suggests, a comprehensive guide to the origins of places within Northumberland and the explanation of the origins of the names (not the same as the origins of the places) is weak and unfocused. It is an amiable and somewhat unstructured wander through a fascinating subject and a wonderful county, but it lacks the scholarly sharp edge which would make it a definitive work.

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WALKS IN WALES

National Trust Walks 2. Southern and Central Wales Dorothy Hamilton Llygad Gwalch 2007 1 84524 076 6 £7.50 Did you make a New Year's resolution to take more interesting and longer walks? If so this is a book for you. As Iwan Huws, Director of the National Trust in Wales writes in the introduction 'one of the best ways to appreciate our houses and landscapes is to visit them on foot, to admire them at leisure and savour their unique atmosphere'. The twenty circular walks described here range from 3.5 to 10 miles in length, and are scattered across southern and central Wales. They are based on castles, houses, beaches, cliffs, woodland, waterfalls and other treasures in the care of the Trust. There is a companion volume on Northern Wales written by Dafydd Meirion. Dorothy Hamilton is an enthusiastic walker and an experienced writer on both walking and history. Her interests are successfully combined in this volume. Although the maps provided in the book are very sketchy, the relevant OS Explorer map for each walk is indicated. Directions are given in great detail, and it is claimed that a map is not necessary, though most people enjoy the additional information provided by having the local sheet to hand. All the walks begin at or near somewhere to park a car, and whenever access by public transport is possible- sometimes joining the walk part way round - this is mentioned. It would make an interesting challenge to see how many of the walks can be completed using only buses and trains. From the book this sounds feasible for most of them, but that is without knowledge of timetables! Each walk has an introductory paragraph that provides a welcome to the location and sets the scene for the route. For example, 'Llanerchaeron is a captivating example of an 18th century Welsh country estate. The mansion was designed in the 1790s by the famous architect John Nash for William Lewis, and the estate stayed in the same family until John Powell Ponsonby Lewes bequeathed it to the National Trust in 1989'. And 'Rhaeadr Ddu is a spectacular waterfall in Coed Ganllwyd, a nature reserve known for its mosses, liverworts and ferns. The ancient woodland consists mainly of sessile oak and with some ash, birch and alder buckthorn'. Route descriptions follow, and include places or features named in bold type. When the walker has been safely directed back to the starting point, the chapter concludes with additional information on these points of interest. Some are inevitably very brief, and a larger guidebook or local history of the area would be necessary to explore thoroughly, particularly in the towns. But enough is provided to add fascinating snippets to the visitor's knowledge of the natural, industrial, literary, archaeological and architectural history of the route they are following and its surrounding area. We learn about wrecks at Rhossili Bay, a Roman road named after a Welsh wife of Magnus Maximus, Meirionnydd gold mines, a legend of the Devil's toothache, and Edward Elgar planning 'Introduction and Allegro for Strings' on holiday at Lochtyn. Illustrated with over a hundred coloured photographs, this is a very good value pocket guide.

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NEWS FROM EIRE

National Library of IrelandNew acquisitions by the National Library of Ireland in 2007 include fourteen letters from Moya Llewellyn Davies, wife of Crompton Llewellyn Davies, a Welsh civil servant, friend of Lloyd George and one of Michael Collins's advisors during the Treaty negotiations. The letters contain references to and personal reminiscences of Michael Collins, Erskine Childers, and Cathal Brugha, and there are also notes from Crompton Llewellyn Davies with incisive comments about Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. A letter dated 1689 written in French by James II of England refers to a recent naval engagement between the English and the French fleets off Bantry Bay, the final outcome of which the king was still waiting. Material acquired at a Dublin auction during the summer includes extensive drafts of articles and other items for James Connolly's Workers' Republic in 1915-1916. There is a lively letter from Erskine Childers to Aine Ceannt (widow of the executed Eamonn Ceannt ) dated 9 November 1921, in which he gives details of his life in London as part of the Irish Treaty Delegation ; letters from Michael Collins as Minister for Finance in the First Dail, demanding receipts and accounts in 1919; letters from Eamonn de Valera concerning his planned attendance at a 1928 Republican funeral in Limerick; letters from Countess Markievicz concerning Republican organisation in 1923; and from the poet Thomas Moore to the Duke of Leinster, referring to Moore's works on Byron and Lord Edward FitzgeraldDemolition of Dublin Hailing Station The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has come in for severe criticism for allowing the demolition of the hailing station at the corner of Sir John's Rogerson's Quay and Britain Quay as part of its Grand Canal Dock area development. The hailing station dated from 1907 and was used to direct ships as they docked along the quays, and was also where dockers assembled when looking for work. Although the building was protected under the 1997 Dublin Docklands Development Act, the master plan for the Dublin Docklands Area has priority over the Dublin City Development Plan. Historic hall restoredThe Antient Concert Rooms in Dublin's Pearse Street, which is a protected structure, has reopened to the public for viewing after being restored as part of the refurbishment of the building as an office complex. It was originally built in 1824 and used by the Dublin Oil Gas Light Company. The Society of Antient Concerts took up residency in 1842 and the building became a cinema in the 1920s when the concert hall closed. The concert hall has been restored to its former glory and can be seen during working hours. In 1899 the concert rooms were used by the Irish Literary Theatre which included in its membership W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, George Moore, Edward Martyn and others, for the staging of plays prior to the establishment of the Abbey Theatre. Call for church to be restored as visitor centre. Objections have been made to a planning application submitted to Dublin City Council which proposes to convert the former Viking Adventure Centre (previously St. Michael and St. John's Church at Essex Street West) into an acting school and offices. Objectors maintain that the former church building should be converted in to a visitor centre in the same way that the former St. Andrew's Church in Suffolk Street was converted into the Dublin Tourist Office. St. Michael and St. Johns' Church is one of a number of protected structures in a group of buildings which are the subject of a planning application. It was originally built in 1827 and was the first church to ring its bells to mark the granting of Catholic Emancipation in 1829. Return of the Sea Stallion There was a large turnout in Dublins Docklands on 14 August for the arrival of the Sea Stallion, a replica Viking longboat, and an exact reconstruction of the Skuldelev 2, which was built in Dublin in 1041AD and sank 30 years later in Roskilde Fjord in Denmark. Wood used in the construction of the Skuldelev 2 was traced by archaeologists to trees felled in the Glendalough area of County Wicklow. The new longboat will be housed in the Museum of Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks, Dublin, until June 2008 when it will make a return voyage to Denmark.

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POLE POSITION

HISTORYCZNY SPACER PO TALLAGHT Od centrum klasztornego do centrum nowoczesnego-piesza wycieczka z przewodnikiem po Tallaght i jego okolicacah … our Irish correspondent, James Scannell, sent me a guide to the Irish Heritage Council's 2007 Heritage Week, held in September. I was fascinated to see that a series of events and exhibitions in and around Greater Dublin were advertised in, and in the case of the exhibitions would be interpreted in, Polish as well as English (not in Irish, though of course comparable activities in other parts of the Republic were held in, and described in, the ancient tongue). It seemed to me a remarkable indicator of one of the great cultural changes in the recent history of these islands, though I can find no indication of such an imaginative and inclusive approach on this side of the water. The text above, incidentally, refers to a guided walk held only in Polish, around the ancient monastic centre and now sprawling modern new town of Tallaght, on the south-west edge of the conurbation. Ireland has a very large and recent Polish population and, coincident with this theme, I happened to come across, on the website of the Irish Times, a heated on-line debate concerning a reasonably serious proposal that Polish should be made the third official language of the Republic. There was some support (especially from people who said, heretically, that it would be a great deal more useful than learning Irish - Eamon de Valera must be turning steadily in his grave). Others were vehemently opposed, including a gentleman who gave his address as Singapore, and another living in Australia. The history of ethnic minorities and migration is a subject which local historians have tended to avoid. Some important and very interesting work has been done on, for example, Italian communities of the first half of the twentieth century; the successive Jewish migrations to British towns and cities from the 1850s to the 1950s; and the very large volume of material on the Irish in Great Britain before and after the Famine, but we have little as yet on more recent changes. But the post-1945 migrations from the Caribbean and South Asia, for instance, have been a fundamental element in the changing character and demography of most larger and many smaller communities the length and breadth of the land, and there would be much local history relevance in studies of its impact and consequences. Maybe one of the perceived obstacles, probably a very real one, is a lack of the relevant skills. Few of us from outside these communities have the linguistic and cultural knowledge to undertake such research, and as yet few from within those communities have become participants in local history … or, to be more accurate, in the sort of local history which we define. How can I say, though, that our definition is the only or even the best one? The recent publication ofComing to Coventry: stories from the South Asian Pioneersby Pippa Virdee and Jitey Samra (reviewed in The Local Historian, August 2007) seems an important development. But the Irish examples quoted above demonstrate a different approach that of making local history resources, and local history itself, available to a much wider audience. Instead of sitting back and waiting for members of new communities to come to local history, local history is coming to them. It's an entirely new and exciting perspective on local history outreach, albeit a very challenging one. Tallaght is not one of Ireland's greatest treasures, but it has considerable historical interest. The Polish community is now an integral part of its melting pot character, and it is being addressed. It would be interesting to know if similar initiatives are being tested in Great Britain. If any reader knows of examples, please let me know.

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NOTES NEWS ISSUES

Welcome back. As you may recall, in November last year this column was loaned to Gill Draper to introduce herself as your new Events and Development Officer. Normal service is now resumed. The twenty-fifth anniversary year is over and its back to business. Annual General Meeting The coloured centrefold to this issue has the formal announcement and draft agenda. As always, read the small print. We publish, for economy, only the narrative part of the report and not the 10 page formal document with the full accounts. This is available on request from the Business Manager after the various processes with our accountants and Independent Examiner have finished by the end of April. At the AGM members have three opportunities to contribute to the work of the Association; by asking (perhaps rather pointed) questions during discussion of the Annual Report, by nominating members to serve on the trustee body (Council) and by proposing any matter for inclusion in the agenda. The latter two have, constitutionally, to reach the Editor before 30 April for inclusion in the final agenda published in the May issue of Local History News.There are still bookstalls available at Local History Day for interested societies - just ask Open Forums Or for the pedantic, Open Fora - such matters are not taken lightly and you may have observed that in the programme leaflet for 2008 the point has been evaded - the two events headed in the singular They take place at the Institute of Historical Research (IHR) at the beginning of the each Assembly starting at 1030. On 1 March Professor John Beckett will present the Victoria County History interactive website; for those who may mourn the 'big red books' this should be an eye opener. Local History Month Local and Community History month, promoted by the Historical Association (HA) is from 1 to 31 May - leading up to our own Local History Day on 7 June. This is intended to promote local history activity by a wide range of organizations and is coordinated by the HA; email lhm@history.org.uk or ring Simon Brown on 020 7820 5986 Valete All our publications have now been gathered 'in house' and are sold by the Business Manager from Derbyshire. This brings an end to our mutually beneficial relationship with Phillimore & Co Ltd, appreciated over many years. And you may have noticed that Phillimore no longer sponsor our Annual Lecture. Discussion are going on to find a new sponsor and finally - serendipity - an anecdote My chance acquisition of an 1849 deed enhanced knowledge of urban-rural conflict in the 19th century when urban run-off, including street washing and untreated sewage was used to promote the growth of grass in the words of my colleague, a hydrologist and soil scientist, with whom I am interpreting the document for publication. It deals with the highly polluted water of Salisbury's street channels - city ditches which eventually debouched onto the irrigated water meadows south east of the city, setting out the entitlements and duties of the three landowners who then shared it. Protecting the value of the meadows seriously delayed closing all the city ditches and improving public health. All this has been a useful chance opportunity but the real serendipity is that our research led to an elderly farmer Robin who had worked on these meadows at Petersfinger Farm as a schoolboy in the Second World War. Very recently I bought Foot Loose in South Wiltshire, a diary of farming and nature 1936 - 1950by Jane Holmes (Hobnob Press 2007) an evocative recollection and invaluable record of bird and animal life at that time and to which the diarist devotes most of her attention. But she records working as a 'farm apprentice' just after the war at Petersfinger Farm. Tucked away on page 25 is a passing mention, blink and you will miss it, of those she worked with including 'The Boss's schoolboy son Robin'. What does one do with such a gleaning? I am sure there will be a use for it one day.

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NEWS FROM ARCHIVES

Changes at Kew: continuing disruption to services at The National Archives: See LHN 85 page 5.Dont forget to check before you plan a visit.www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/kew2008.htm News from Hampshire Record Office: the Local Studies Library in Winchester is being integrated with the HRO, from November 2007 to March 2008. There will be a limited service, and potential visitors are recommended to check availability and to book in advance. Thursday lunchtime lectures and the foyer exhibition will continue during building works. Further details can be found on www.hants.gov.uk/record-office/ Cumbria Record Officeand Local Studies Library in Barrow is having to reduce its service provisions and opening hours owing to staff vacancies. There will be lunchtime closures 13.0014.00 everyday; the Local Studies Library only will be open from 17.00 19.00 on Mondays and Wednesdays; and the Record Office will be open every third Saturday ie 1 March, 33 March, 12 April, 3 May, 24 May.www.cumbria.gov.uk/archives/recordoffcies/barec.asp The annual appeal from Friends of Shropshire Archives this year is to assist with the purchase of a unique early 19th century sketch book by David Parkes. Parkes (1763-1833) was a prolific artist and antiquarian who ran a school in Shrewsbury and spent his leisure time travelling around Shropshire drawing churches and other buildings and antiquities. The 75 pencil, ink, and watercolour wash sketches cover a variety of location, and date between 1805 n 1831. A number of the buildings are no longer in existence. Contact 01952 252814. West Sussex Tithe Maps Project needs help West Sussex Record Office has a tithe map for almost every parish in the county. These are being digitised (courtesy of Heritage Lottery funding) to conserve them and increase accessibility, and will be available on CD. It is important that the information in the Apportionments are also available to look at in conjunction with the maps. The Record Office would like local societies and individuals to assist with putting this detail into a database form which copies can be printed.Contact G Edom, West Sussex Record Office. Gillian.edom@westsussex.gov.uk 01243 753642 Camdem Local Studies and Archives Centre offers the opportunity to become an online donor. Images can now be contributed to their collection via the website. The centre already holds over 40,000 images of Camden past and present, but there are gaps; for example they have many photographs of the area in the early 20th century, but few from 1920s to 1950s.www.camden.gov.uk/localstudies Have you got a Beldray ironing board? Black Country Archives Services Documenting the Workshop of the World project has digitised a series of photographs from the Bilston firm. Established in 1872 Bradley & Co Ltd began making brass, copper and silver hollowware items from sheet metal, and then developed lines in art metalware - cake stands, letter racks and so on. During the war they were involved in munitions production, and subsequently evolved new lines such as stepladders, ironing boards and other laundry equipment that we remember them for. The firm closed in 2005. www.blackcountryhistory.org

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NEWS FROM LIBRARIES

The Plume Library at Maldon in Essex was established in 1704 by the will of Dr Thomas Plume, Archdeacon of Rochester and Vicar of Greenwich. He was born in Maldon in 1630. The Library remains in the building erected for it about 1699, and contains about 7,000 books and pamphlets amassed by Thomas Plume during his lifetime. As well as theology is reflects the ideas and advances made in the seventeenth century in natural philosophy, chemistry, medicine physics, mathematics, practical mechanics, geography, travel, and astronomy. A new essay award has been created by The Friends of Thomas Plume's Library. The Frank and Patricia Herrman Award will give £500 to the winner (and £100 to the runner-up) for an essay of 3,000 4,000 words on a topic based on the Plume Library. Further details from Chairman, FTPL, 23 Wentworth Meadows, Maldon Essex CM9 6EH tony.doe@btinternet.com. The Library can be contacted at info@thomasplumeslibrary.co.uk The Guidlhall Libraryholds one of only three known copies of the Agas map, the earliest printed map of London in existence. It is now available online, and can be explored in great detail with optional additional information of streets, churches and other significant sites marked and named.www.mapoflondon.uvic.ca/map.php Anyone with memories of the old library building, and the books they borrowed, in Eastleigh is being asked to contact The Point to contribute to a new project called The Reading Room. The Library stood at the heart of the community from 1935 until it closed in 1990 and was relocated to the Swan Centre. Artist, dancer and film-maker Mim King has a three-month residency at The Point and she will be developing workshops and sessions with groups of all ages, where she will explore recollections of the building, and the significance of the printed word in our lives. There will be an installation performance in April.www.thepoint-online.co.uk/

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NEWS FROM MUSEUMS

Museums and Galleries Month 2008 runs from 1 - 31 May. The theme is 'Ideas and Innovation'. Go to their website for how to take part, and look out for special events in your area. www.mgm.org.ukEvents at the Hunterian Museum include a family-friendly afternoon on Saturday 15 March called 'Pick your brains! Dissection and mummification in Ancient Egypt'. This is being held in association with the Petrie Museum at University College London where participants start. It is free but pre-booking is recommended. Contact 020 7679 4138 or email ucwedch@ucl.ac.uk On Thursday 27 March there will be a lunchtime talk at the Hunterian when Professor Nick Black will take you through some of the walks outline in 'Walking Londons Medical History'. Again free, but book on 020 7869 6560 or email museums@rcsend.ac.uk. Further details of events and activities at the museum can be found on www.rcsend.ac.uk/museums Chertsey Museum has won a major award for the outstanding way it communicates with its visitors. The 'Interpret Britain and Ireland Award' 2007 Commendation was presented for the Runnymede Room. Winners of the award have to score high marks against a range of criteria including imagination and innovation, good interpretive planning, and a clear commitment to accessibility, training and maintenance. The museums temporary Spring exhibition is Toys and Forces, and familyfocused science exhibition which runs until 15 March. www.chertseymuseum.org.uk Bishopsteignton Museum of Rural Life is housed in two rooms of the Victorian schoolhouse, is run by volunteers and opens on Sunday afternoons and Bank Holidays in summer. It is now faced with the 'bombshell' of a bequest worth £1.5 m from a reclusive local resident who died last year. One condition is that the Museum moves into Molly Coombes' former house. Decisions on other uses for this money will clearly take some time. NADFAS Review Winter 2007. www.24hourmuseum.org.uk Salisbury's Military Museum has recently celebrated its 25th anniversary since the official opening by HRH Prince Philip in July 1982. The Museum's name has changed twice since it opened, reflecting regimental changes due to army reorganisation. Originally known as The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment Museum, it later became The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment (Salisbury) Museum before adopting its present name of The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum in 2007. The establishment of the Museum in The Wardrobe rescued one of the most historic buildings in Salisbury's Cathedral Close. It had been empty for a number of years, was seriously dilapidated, and there were even suggestions that it should be demolished. The Landmark Trust contributed to the cost of alterations in return for a flat at the top of the building. In recent years the Museum has made significant improvements to its facilities and the displays have all been completely refurbished, concentrating more on the people involved rather than just wars and battles. The website is well worth a visit; over 25,000 items from the collections can be seen there. A recent acquisition becomes one of the oldest photographs there: taken in 1854 this is a miniature portrait of William Chandler of 49th Regiment of Foot. www.thewardrobe.org.uk The Robert Logan Award is given by theBritish Association of Friends of Museums, and Association of Museums, to a young person working in the heritage sector, for a paper on the conference theme of 'Past Present and Future'. Lucy Price, acting curator at the London Fire Brigade Museum, is the 2007 winner. She wrote about the use of volunteers, and how their role can be developed in the future. The help, knowledge and enthusiasm of volunteers have been vital to the expansion of the specialist museum where she works. The story it tells includes the Great Fire of London, the effects on the capital of WWII and the Blitz, and its role today. It is open by appointment only, and events are specially tailored to visitors needs. www.londonfire.gov.uk/about_us/our_history/visit_our_musuem.asp The British Postal Museum & Archive is continuing to work towards maximising the accessibility of information about their collections. At present about 70% of the Royal Mail Archive on the online catalogue, so details of almost 62,000 records and museum objects can now be found there. A new class recently added is POST 92, Post Office publications. This contains not only annual reports and accounts, but also staff newsletters, lecture notes, and philatelic publications. From the museum store, parts of the collection such as wall boxes, letter box accessories, toys and models (including Postman Pat), clocks and calendars, are now included.www.postalheritage.org.uk/catalogue Collections of work by a local photographer have proved their value to local historians time and again. Frederick Thurstons work was described to Harpenden & District Local History Society recently by Elizabeth Adey, local history curator at Luton's Wardown Museum. Born in 1854, Mr Thurston made his living with the usual portraits and wedding pictures and benefited from royal patronage, but also took street scenes of Luton and country views. Luton was very fortunate that, after Frederick's death in 1934, his son Hubert continued the business, and donated his father's life's work to the museum.www.luton.gov.uk/ and use the A-Z facility to M for museums. Harpenden & District Local History Society Newsletter Editor 10 The Close Harpenden AL5 3NB